When Irene Aldana returns to action at UFC Fight Island 4 this weekend, she’ll be coming off a different kind of victory. Originally scheduled to face Holly Holm at the start of August, Aldana(12-5) found herself battling COVID-19, which forced the bout to be pushed back to this Saturday, October 3.
“I had a really bad time. Really really bad time. I was feeling really sick, had almost all of the symptoms that they told us COVID has. Couldn’t breathe well, I couldn’t smell anything. I couldn’t taste food. I had headaches at temperature, a lot of other things happened,” Aldana told Cageside Press during this week’s UFC Fight Island 4 media day. Her immediate reaction was to put her health first, and to stay calm. Yet she was also trying to hang on to the date with Holm.
“I was trying to save the fight in that time. And when I was trying to train, that made me feel even [worse],” recalled Aldana. “I thought that I needed to rest, that was when I called the UFC and told them I couldn’t take the fight.” Recovery from there was hard, at least at first, as she would tire quickly, especially in training. But with the help of doctors, physical trainers, and her team, Aldana made a full recovery — which puts her on track for a big showing against Holly Holm this weekend.
While nothing has been made official, many are treating Aldana’s fight with former bantamweight champ Holm as a title eliminator. Including Irene Aldana herself. “Definitely, I’m sure this is!” Aldana exclaimed. “This fight is taking me one step closer to the belt, definitely. She’s the second number two-ranked fighter that I’m going to be fighting, the first was Ketlen Vieira. Now, Holly. I’m now fighting the greatest in the division, and I think winning this fight is gonna make it clear that I’m expecting [a title fight].”
Champ Amanda Nunes, however, is currently busy being both a new mom, and fighting at featherweight. She’ll return in December for her second straight defense of the UFC’s 145lb title. By the time the bantamweight belt is on the line again, it will have been over a year since it was last defended.
Aldana hopes that “The Lioness” returns soon. “I hope so, I hope she returns to 135lbs soon. I don’t know what her plans are. And I respect the heart. I respect her, because she has done enough. She has done great things. She has accomplished great things. And whatever she decides I respect her. And if she comes back it will be an honor and a great challenge for me to be able to fight her, and if I win a fight with Amanda, that will be that will take me to the highest level as an athlete.”
Watch the full UFC Fight Island 4 virtual media day scrum with Irene Aldana above.
